Enter dates

Hotel Highlights

In the middle of the Atlas mountains but still accessible

Beautiful heated outdoor pool, year-round sunshine

Luxurious suites with private pools

Overview

A magical walled complex near Asni, in the High Atlas, Kasbah Tamadot is all peaceful courtyards, intriguing staircases, landscaped gardens and breathtaking views. The master suite is a miniature replica of the Kasbah, with 360-degree views of the mountain scenery.

Our favourite rooms

The Aman room (deluxe suite with pool) is a wonderful place to have breakfast outside. The Tazart Room has a carved wood ceiling and stunning green bathroom. The Jacaranda room also has a ceiling worth ogling and beautiful terrace. The Master Suite is the ‘mini Kasbah’, occupying two floors.

Packing tips

Layers in autumn and winter; walking boots.

Also

If you can't find availability online, give the Smith Travel Team a call – we may still be able to find you a room.

Children

Little Smiths aged 11 and under are welcome, and stay free when sharing a room with their parents. Activities are held during school holidays. Babysitting is available, but be sure to book ahead. Cots and high chairs should also be requested in advance.

Children

Overview

During school holidays, this sophisticated retreat invites children to join in games and cultural activities. Children under 11 stay for free too.

Best for

Juniors and tweens.

Activities

Packed activity programmes are held at various dates throughout the year – mostly during school holidays. From 16–23 February, 5–27 April, 5 July to 31 August, 18 October to 2 November, and 13 December to 10 January kids can ride the resident mules (Peppermint, Peanut and Paprika), camels (Pickle and Pumpkin) and donkeys (Pudding, Plum and Peaches); cook traditional Moroccan dishes; go on treasure hunts; get mini manicures; go for a 4WD ride in the mountains; take part in table-tennis tournaments; experience a Moroccan tea party and learn about the local flora and fauna on a nature walk. There are also DVDs to watch and board games in the lounge.

Meals

The hotel has a young diners menu, which has a few familiar favourites and some more exotic Moroccan fare (from MAD50–70 a dish).

Babysitting

Is available for MAD120 an hour; must be booked in advance.

Food & Drink

Hotel Restaurant

Kanoun restaurant has two terraces to choose from, one by the pool and one on the rooftop. Food is a mix of sophisticated Moroccan, African and international offerings, and there’s an impressive wine list.

Hotel Bar

There is a pool bar and a rooftop bar, plus a fireside bar in the Kanoun restaurant.

Last orders

Breakfast is from 7.30am until 10.30am; lunch is between noon and 2.30pm; dinner is from 7.30pm until 10.30pm. The bar shuts at midnight.

Room service

Breakfast from 6am to 12pm; snacks from 11am to 11pm; the dinner menu is available on request. Snacks can be summoned poolside between 11am and 6pm.

Smith Insider

Dress code

Dressed-down glam.

Top table

Have lunch by the infinity pool, and ask the hotel to book you one of the hotel’s secluded spots for a romantic dinner.

Kasbah Tamadot

Kasbah Tamadot, BP 67, Asni, Atlas Mountains, Marrakech, 42152

Planes

The nearest airport is Marrakech’s Menara Airport – you can fly there from the UK and elsewhere in Europe with British Airways (www.ba.com), Royal Air Maroc (www.royalairmaroc.com), EasyJet (www.easyjet.com) and Ryanair (www.ryanair.com). Transfers from the airport take around 45 minutes.

Automobiles

Driving in Morocco can be daunting, but it gets easier outside of the congested cities. Should you want to drive, hire a car at the airport from Avis (www.avis.com). From Marrakech follow the signs to Tahannaoute and Asni for about 42km until you reach Asni. As you leave Asni, take the turning on the left and follow this road for 4.5km until you see Kasbah Tamadot on the left.

Reviews

Anonymous review

Some get their kicks hurling themselves down snow-covered mountains with planks of wood attached to their feet; others order highly poisonous (and hideously expensive) fugu fish in Japanese restaurants and hope the prep chef threw the right bits away. After a visit to Marrakech, however, I can confirm that comparable thrills can be had by anyone willing to hop into a city-centre taxi.
As a gene…

Kasbah Tamadot

Anonymous review by Scott Manson, Rock-star writer

Some get their kicks hurling themselves down snow-covered mountains with planks of wood attached to their feet; others order highly poisonous (and hideously expensive) fugu fish in Japanese restaurants and hope the prep chef threw the right bits away. After a visit to Marrakech, however, I can confirm that comparable thrills can be had by anyone willing to hop into a city-centre taxi.

As a general rule, it seems, you slow down for donkeys and speed up for dogs. Donkeys will get out of the way eventually, as will pedestrians. Dogs are virtually impossible to hit, so cabbies just drive straight at them. Stop completely for either species, and you get stuck in a crowd for whom trying to flog you cartons of cigarettes and strings of sweets is just their way of saying hello.

We also quickly pick up on the etiquette of when you use the horn. That is: (a) when the car is moving; (b) when the car is stationary; (c) at all other times. And yet, despite the apparent chaos of Marrakech’s teeming streets, there is method in the mayhem. Not once do we see a car crash, or even an example of donkey-driver rage. The trick as a newly arrived tourist is to just relax into it, although this can be tricky if you have a friendly driver who wants to practice his English phrases.

‘You are from England? I have a cousin in London,’ says our chap, turning around to give us a winning smile.

‘That’s great, but you’d better look out for that donkey gridlock up ahead.’

‘Is that near Stanmore? His shop is there.’

What blessed relief then, to be met for the transfer to our luxury north African retreat by the charming and loquacious Abdul III (two other Abduls were already employed at Kasbah Tamadot when he started). The 45-minute drive in the back of an air-conditioned VW 4x4 is an absolute delight in comparison with the sweaty bustle of Marrakech’s dusty streets.

It’s a inspirational journey, and gives you a different take on Morocco. The road winds up through the Atlas Mountains, passing 1,000-year-old Berber villages which, if you removed the electricity poles and kids in logo’d T-shirts, would look much the same as when they were built by nomadic tribes. A big part of Tamadot’s charm is the way it fits with these surroundings.

It is perched dramatically on the edge of a valley, with snow-capped mountains as a backdrop; it is clear why Richard Branson was so taken by the location. Apparently, when the tousle-haired tycoon used the Kasbah as a base prior to his 1998 attempt at a round-the-world balloon record, his mother was so taken with it that Sir Richard decided to add it to his stable of holiday outposts. Seven years later, Kasbah Tamadot was born: a boutique hotel in the Atlas Mountains. With its landscaped gardens, five-star spa and infinity pool looking across the valley to an ancient village, it combines atmosphere with luxury in a most relaxing way.

Given the lateness of the hour, Mrs Smith and I expect nothing more than a cup of mint tea when we arrive. The staff, bless them, clap their hands with delight when they see our surprise at being offered a full meal in the restaurant. We are whisked past carved doors, Indonesian statues, elaborate mosaics and silver chairs on the way up to our table. We’re lucky enough to have arrived on the night of the traditional Berber feast and, if the contented smiles of our fellow diners are anything to go by, it’s going to be a waistband-loosening treat.

It starts innocently enough: a few buttery pastries and a tangy Moroccan salad, with some fresh-baked flatbread. The latter is so good I wolf it down like a man who’s not sure when he’ll eat again. Big mistake. The main course of tagine arrives and the ‘feast’ bit begins to make sense. For the uninitiated, a tagine is a domed clay pot designed for slow cooking. In days of old, such a method was necessary to render tough cuts of meat edible. Here and now at Tamadot, married with the finest ingredients, it brings out the richness of every flavour, from sweet dates to savoury stock. It’s a complex and delicious dish. Or dishes – four of them, to be exact: beef, chicken, fish and vegetable tagines, all spread on our table. We briefly wonder whether someone might be joining us – a herd of tribesmen, perhaps – but no, this is for two reasonably hungry Londoners. We’re determined to show the chef that he kept his kitchen open for good reason.

We waddle off afterwards, giggling and giddy with the sheer loveliness of it all, following a candlelit pathway until we come to our room. With its elaborately carved ceiling, highly covetable dark-wood wardrobe and enormous rainfall shower, it’s the sort of place that makes you hum with quiet contentment. And when I wake up briefly in the middle of the night, there’s none of that ‘where the hell am I?’ oddness. We left the curtains open because, frankly, we were too full of food to move much, so when I open my eyes at 4am I see a great silver moon shining over the mountains. Taking stock of my surroundings before drifting off again, I have that most delightful of hotel moments: the thought of ‘Oh yes, everything’s all right here’. Content, remote and in a blissful bed with your nearest and dearest – if there’s a better thought on waking up, I’ve yet to find it.

There are only 27 rooms here, so service is excellent. Besides the spa treatments, you can go ballooning, trekking or riding, or play tennis. Our days consist of lying by that stunning pool, gazing over the valley and being embarrassingly romantic. Sorry, but it really is that kind of place. There’s also a library with surprisingly good contemporary novels to choose from. Although the Kasbah’s chill-out ethos means no TVs, the staff are happy to fetch one for you if you ask, and there’s a DVD menu featuring Virgin’s current top 50 choices. When we’re feeling particularly slothful one night, we take this option: the tiny Moroccan chap who brings a TV set to our room is so bent under the huge telly that we feel we have to tip him handsomely.

Afterwards, we figure that we probably parted with a small fortune for the favour, but Tamadot inspires this sort of behaviour. There’s such a sense of bonhomie and general good feeling that throwing a few dirhams around seems a trifling matter. Opulent, tranquil and about as far removed from the madness of Marrakech as you can get, Kasbah Tamadot is a flawless operation, and perfect for a long weekend of lounging and loving.

The Guestbook

Whenever you book a stay at a Smith hotel with us, we'll invite you to review it when you get back. Read what other Smith members have to say about Kasbah Tamadot in the Guestbook below…

Jane

BlackSmith

Stayed on
13 Oct 2014

We loved

Nothing was too much trouble, it was faultless.

Rating:
10/10 stars

Jonathan

SilverSmith

Stayed on
1 Sep 2014

We loved

A large and superbly comfortable room set in gardens with all the romance of the Arabian nights - scented hedges heavy with fruit and flowers, peacocks, trees, water, mountain and valley views. The service is admirable in every way and it felt special to be a returning visitor. The food is delicious and with plenty of variety to keep us interested through the whole week. We went thinking that we might go walking (even mule-trekking) in the mountains - these things are possible - and, in fact, spent the laziest and most relaxed week doing less than we have ever done anywhere else. It was a joy.

Rating:
10/10 stars

Rochelle

BlackSmith

Stayed on
25 Aug 2014

We loved

It's a beautiful estate but the service was the best thing ever - the staff honestly cannot do enough for you and pro-actively anticipate your needs. For example, I went into the spa to book some treatments and the receptionist noticed I was sniffly, so she went into the back and came out with a specially mixed combination of aromatherapy oils and some cotton pads that I could take back to my room to help my breathing. I had expected this to be on my bill, but happily it wasn't. I also took to sitting on a part of the grounds that was far away from the main pool area. On the second day, someone had evidently noticed and a waiter came over with tea and iced water in a bag.

Don’t expect

The food was generally good especially the local specialities (like the tagines) however, I think their lunchtime selection could be better and more varied. The lunch menu was mostly made up of Western fare, such as wraps and burgers.

Pamela

We loved

Everything was beautiful, there was a generous amount of amenities, and the staff were fantastic.

Don’t expect

For me, the food was good but nothing special. Variation on the menu is needed if guests are staying more than one night.

Rating:
8/10 stars

Andrew

BlackSmith

Stayed on
6 Mar 2014

We loved

I loved the relaxed, informal atmosphere and outstanding staff.

Rating:
10/10 stars

Hamish

SilverSmith

Stayed on
16 Feb 2014

We loved

The hotel has simply magnificent views of the Atlas mountains and, in mid February, the combination of open fires in the morning and evening and glorious daytime sunshine was a delight. Everyone is friendly and nothing is too much trouble for the amazing team that is there to help. The food was excellent and we enjoyed every moment! It's one of those hotels where the actual experience exceeds every aspect of your anticipation!

Rating:
9/10 stars

Price information

If you haven’t entered any dates, the rate shown is provided directly by the hotel and represents the cheapest double room (including tax) available in the next {dayrange} days.

Prices have been converted from the hotel’s local currency ({currency}{rate}), via openexchangerates.org, using today’s exchange rate.

Visit our US site

If you’re based in the US, we have a dedicated Mr & Mrs Smith site tailored to your travel needs. Head over to smithhotels.com and get the same hotel collection, special offers and guaranteed best rates, plus prices in dollars, local phone support and specialised content.